National Public Radio's Science Friday is one of my favorite ways to spend my lunch hour (or two). Hosted by science journalist Ira Flatow, it's an engaging look at wide range of current scientific topics. Last week's episode delved into the biology of cephalopods, for example -- something I didn't even know I was interested in before the episode began. (Did you know the octopus genome is awash with mysterious, novel genes? Neither did I!)
But I was particularly excited when I learned that the episode also featured two of my (dare I say it?) favorite Stanford faculty members. Stem cell biologist Irving Weissman, MD, described how purified populations of blood-forming stem cells could provide new ways of treating diseases as varied as cancer and diabetes, while Hank Greely, JD, treated listeners to a fascinating discussion of the future of human reproduction. (Greely recently published a book provocatively titled The End of Sex).
If you're looking for something to do during your lunch hour while eating your sad desk lunch, I recommend it!
Previously: Cautious green light for CRISPR use in embryos in the U.K.; Stanford's Hank Greely weighs in, Science Friday explores women's heightened risk for Alzheimer's and The making of a scientist--Stanford's Irv Weissman under the Big Sky
Photo courtesy of Hank Greely
